The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

This is definitely one of my favourite postmodern novels, and in the 'clever as fuck' category. It's basically my entire Victorian Literature class condensed into one book; all the themes that come up in nineteenth century literature (and its subsequent criticism) are here: (proto-)feminism, repression, sexuality, wanderings in London, Darwin, commercialism, communism, morality, narrative voice, homosexuality, masculinity, prostitution, Malthus, pre-Raphaelites... and so on. But all of this is presented in such an engaging and playful way; Fowles loves to play games with the reader, offering alternative ending, allusions, contemporary commentary, switching perspectives. Perhaps I loved is so much because Fowles is so incredible at imitating faultlessly the still, overblown, oversentimental Victorian style (which I am rather used to), then suddenly leaps into the present-day (or rather 1969) to critically examine what has just happened. Like many postmodern novels, it also laughs at critics, which I always enjoy. The characters are also very well-executed, sometimes with Dickensian wit (but thankfully not in Dickensian proportions), sometimes with clinical detachment, sometimes with heartfelt empathy. Very much a favourite.